SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH

SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH 

OK, so this was actually somewhere in a Walmart...  Did the fluorescent lights give it away or was it the concrete floor?  Regardless, I believe that if you're going to dream you're somewhere on a beach you need to feel as if you're truly there.  That means gathering up all of the necessary amenities: the over-sized beach towel that can dry off an entire clan; Coppertone SPF 8 (not cuz it will prevent a sunburn but cuz it smells super great); bamboo flip flops with red roped straps; a wide brimmed hat adorned with a red and white polka dotted band; Corona in a bottle with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt (and perhaps another one on standby)...

I felt it apropos to introduce you to my blog by writing about beaches since I happen to be creating one in my guest room. Yep, for real - well as real as one can get without really being on a beach.  It began as a joke with myself when my daughter headed off to college 3 weeks ago.  (That is her in the above photo donning the sun hat.)  All I could do was stand in the doorway of her room and host a one person pity party.  Three kids have flown the coop - okay, "left the nest" is probably more politically correct, and only one remains for a couple of more years.  There really is some validity to that whole "Empty Nest Syndrome" which I am surprised to admit to.  I just couldn't wait for my kids to grow out of diapers, graduate kindergarten, slide through elementary school, transition into middle school, grab the diploma in high school and MOVE OUT!.  I couldn't wait to have all of this free time - to sit back and finally enjoy life.  What I didn't realize, until yet another bird flew off, was that I HAD been enjoying life:  the early morning rushes because they wouldn't get out of bed on time; the kicking off of shoes because the sock seams were bothering their toes; the parent teacher conferences that they never wanted me to attend but darn straight I did, the sports games where I made sure everyone knew I was their Mom and undoubtedly their number one fan; the laughter, the tears, the hair pulling, the jaw clenching; the sheer chaos of it all.  And now, here I sit, feeling a bit tattered and torn, and certainly not where I expected to be at this point in life - in hindsight, perhaps because I was so busy helping everyone else create their own point in life.  I definitely didn't pick up enough hobbies along the way, didn't quite get that lasso roped around my true passion and now, to boot, fearful that hanging out with myself could actually become a tad bit... boring.  So I plant myself on my beach chair, listen to the sound of the ocean and stare at a palm tree I vow not to kill within the next three months, all the while dreaming of beaches because...well because, quite simply, beaches make me happy and if I'm too busy being happy I don't have time to be sad - well at least in theory right?

So here is my "somewhere on a beach" room (remember this is only a three week project in the making!).  I really dig the pattern and colors of the chair but have to admit, when making the purchase I didn't think much about it being so vertically challenged - until I tried to get out of it.  Having to do a squat and plop in order to reach the seat was the first clue trouble was ahead, but by then...  I made several attempts to hoist myself up but couldn't quite pull off the whole Ninja thing.  I'm pretty sure folding my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my shins and rolling forward onto the floor was the only reason why someone didn't find me still sitting there the next morning.

 The green pail next to my chair has my "make me smile" stuff in it:  silly string, a word find book, hot pink sunglasses, a plastic guitar that you can actually strum, bubbles (lots of them), Play-Doh (who doesn't LOVE the smell of Play-Doh!),  a jump rope, a 45 vinyl record of Rubber Ducky, produced by Peter Pan Records (not sure how that ended up in my possession), a small notebook for journaling and my Father's Cross brand ballpoint pen with his initials engraved in gold, well they used to be gold.  No, I didn't forget the Corona, it's in the side cup holder - oh, and a primary colored beach ball was present but cleverly rolled out of the picture.

And who remembers these?  Parents worried their kids would ingest this stuff.  "Jimmy make sure you blow OUT through that straw!"  Nothing toxic in there for sure....Yes, I have it in my beach pail as well, and no, I'm not worried about remembering to blow OUT through that straw.

The only thing that remains on my "gotta have" list is a small sand box to bury my feet in. I bought a large hour glass but couldn't quite get my toes in the bottle - shocking, I know. And how about a small inflatable kiddie pool  - I entertained that idea briefly but would it really be worth having to contact my insurance agent to file a claim for unexplained water damage in an upstairs bedroom?  Nope.

So for now I will sit in my "somewhere on a beach" room, posting random thoughts on this blog, all the while learning how to accept the change, appreciate the past, embrace the future, and allow things to fall where they may.  As the season changes, perhaps my empty-nesting room will transform into a hunters dream with an archery target propped in the corner, unscathed by holes because of a "misunderstanding" between me and the enormous bright yellow square with the big black X staring at me from just 3 feet away.  The wall behind it could be a "hole" different story.  As the next season arrives, there's a possibility Santa's workshop could magically appear with little elves scurrying around making intricate wooden trains, stuffing red-cheeked rag dolls and spooking the poodle,who thinks he's a pit bull, in the wee hours of the night.  And I certainly see Easter baskets in the Spring with lots of jelly beans, Peeps and plastic eggs on display.  No, I won't be buying bunnies to put in my sand box. Some say they can be litter box trained.  Sure they can....

Then Summer will once again surface and I will be back somewhere on a beach with a year of change behind me. Maybe I end up not being all that bored with myself, end up having more hobbies than time warrants and, when least expecting, end up answering the door to my life's passion.

To new beginnings and chapters yet to be written.